Henry martin



To all 'whom 'it may concern:

HENRY MARTIN, vor KEYRoRT, NEW JERSEY, AssreNoR To JAMES H. RENICK, or NEW YORK CITY. Letters Patent No. 83,297, datedctobcr 20, 1868.

IMPROVE!) BRICK-MACHINE.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the same.

Be it known that I, HENRY MARTIN, of Keyport,

in the county of Monmouth, and State of New Jersey,

have invented a new and useful Improvement in Brick- Machines, of which the following is afull, clear, and exact description, referencel being had to the accompanying drawing, forming part of this specification, and in which- Figure l represents a front elevation of a machine for making bricks, embracing my improvements;

' Figure 2, a side elevation of the same; p

Figure 3, a horizontal section taken as indicatedby the line x at in iig. l; and

' Figure 4, a front view of the mould-box and pressing-chamber, with the covering-plate or portion in front removed for the purpose of more clearly illustrating the construction ofthe plunger working therein. y

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts. v

Thisfinvention relates, in the main, to that class of brick-presses in'which the clay is worked by a series of revolving knives, and atterwards forced on to a grate that constitutes the bottom of the pressing-chamber, and in which the plunger intermittently recipocates to force out the clay through the grate into the moulds,

or mould-frames, thatare successivelyand laterally" passed under the grate of the pressing-chamber, and,

after the clay has been suitably pressed into them, l

discharged over a roller-platfbrm in front.

My invention consists in a novel construction of the' plunger in sections, whereby the clay is prevented from on to a bed or table leaking, or escaping up past the ends of the plunger;

likewise the adjustability of the latter tothe pressingbox, or chamber, also wear of the same, and renewal of the parts most subject to wear, are better provided for.

And furthermore, the invention vincludes a combina. tion of turn-buckle, with Aa strap,"r0d, and. springV orsplings for operating and adjusting the moulds under the plunger, and whereby the moulds maybe set further in or out relatively to the front of theplunger.

As inlthis, my improvement, many of the parts, or devices, are common to other machines, including features of my invention which have been made the subject of previous patents, only a passing reference will here be made to such partsand features.

" Referring to the accompanyin g drawing, Arepresents the box or chamber into which the wet clay, lto be worked and. fed, is placed, said box carrying a vertical main driving and revolving' shaft, B, furnished with knives, a, and wipers, li, for thoroughly mixing the clay in the box, and forcing or feeding the same to the pressingchamber C, through` a front opening in the lower portion of the box, on suitably raising a gate or slide, c.

'I'he press-box or pressing-chamber 0 is covered in front by a sliding plate, d, which may be elevated by racks and pinions, ef, when itis necessary to open the same for removal of obstacles or otherwiseand said press-box is further constructed with the usual bottom grate, g, the openings in' or through which correspond to theV mould-spaces in the mould-frames, when adjusted beneath the grate.

D is a horizontal shaft for operating the plunger, and which has a rotary motion given it by or through bevel-gearing, from the main shaft B. On theouter end of the shaft D is a crank, E, the wrist-pin of which works in a slotted lever, F, working on a fulcrmn, as at h. Loosely'hung on this fulcrumis a toothed 'segment or sector, G, gearing with. a rack, H, which, though operating :the plunger I, is loose or indepen- Adent of it, the "same vertically working or sliding in a standard, J, projecting upwards-from the plunger, and serving, when elevated, to lift the plunger by its upper end striking a stop or ledge, t, on the top of the standard,'and when depressed, to give the requisite downstroke or action to the plunger vfor compressing the clayin the press-box, and lling the moulds, by striking a pin, k, passing through any one of a series of holes, s, in the lower portion of the standard, accordling to the extent of downward stroke or pressure it is desired to give-the plunger. The vertical edges j, of the standard J, are guided by and work through correspondingly-bevelled grooves made in boxes or plates, Z, bolted to the frame, which construction gives .an ,easy but steady and h'rmaction to the plunger or its'standard.

The independently-hung toothed segment G is made to give a constant up-and-down movement to therack H, as the slotted lever F is vibrated by the crank E, by causing said lever to act against-and between a removable pin, m, and lip or projection, n, fast to the face of the segment.

From this description itl will be seen that there is not simply provision for arresting'the action'of the plunger, without stopping the mill, when, for instance, l

ard, and the pin, m, be removed, which, by the action of tlfe slotted lever F on the stop n, will leave the plunger in a stationary down position so as, and while" the mill is running, to close the escapeor feed of clay into the press-box. This is necessary, or desirable, under certain circumstances of adjustment of parts, or removal of obstacles, and may be instantly done by the operator standing in front of the machine, from which place or position, may both unshipping-attachments, as furnished by the pins k and m, be worked.

The plunger I is constructedin sections, being made of a main body-plate, fitting in loose grooved end-plates or bars, o' t', which Work against the end-'surfaces of the press-box, and are pressed or forced out against the same by the pressure of the clay in the press-box acting against the underlapping edges of said bars. In this way is all leakage or escape and accumulation of clay up past the ends of the plunger automatically avoided or prevented. Furthermore, said plunger is made with a sectional front plate, u, constructed to underlap the main plate, and adjustable relatively to the same, in direction of its width, by set-screws, c -v, to regulate the width of the v plunger to.suit diii'erent widths of press-box, and admitting, in case of wear, of removal of the front-worn portion, Without removal or renewal of the whole plunger, such front portion of the plunger, too, always being the part most liable to wear, by reason of sand, as forced by feed ofthe clay into the press-box from behind, cutting it.

The moulds, or mould-frames, are 4successively entered laterally, as hereinbefore observed, beneath the box A, and in rear of the grate g, immediately below the level of the latter, and are fed or adjusted to their place below the grate g ofthe press-box by the action of an intermittently-reciproeating horizontal pusher, L, as in previous machines, the filled and pressed mould, or mould-frame, being discharged over a rollerplatform on to a table in front, by the action of the intermittent pusher in adjusting the empty-moulds or mould-frame to its place in the press-box.v The means for thus operating the pusher', and adjusting the mouldframes tol their place are, to a certain extent, also similar to those found in my other machines. Thus, M is a revolving crank, having a Wrist-pin, af. As said crank revolves, .the pin a' strikes and catches under a hook-shaped cap, N, jointed, as at bf, to a rod or bar, O, which is adjusted in position to be caught and acted upon through the wrist-pin of the revolving crank by a strap, l?, provided with a stop-pin, c The lower end of the bar O is connected with a lever, Q, on the end of a rock-shaft, d, which carries arms or levers,

R R, that are linked by rods, e e', to the pusher. The hook-shaped cap N jointed to the'bar O, as described, is held to its place on or in connection with said rod, for the wrist-pin a of the crank to act upon or against it, by a spring, or series of springs, S, arranged to press on back of -the cap N, which provides against injury or breakage in case of failure to properly insert the empty mould-frame, or any obstructionoccurring to its passage, or that of the lled mould, by the advance stroke of the pusher, which provisions, or means for accomplishing the same, are not of themselves, or separately considered, here claimed as new. But I have found from experience, that to secure the proper action of such devices, it is desirable to associate with them means' for regulating the throw of the moulds or mould-frames further in or out, relatively to the front of the plunger, so as to provide for or against the severe and irregular strains which take place, and that inluence the throw or action of the pusher'as regards its feed of the moulds under the press-box, and in proper relative position to the plunger. To meet this, I cut or divide the bar O, or connect it at the bottom to the lever Q by a turn-buckle, U, which, accordingly as it is turned to the right or left, increases or diminishes the throw of the pusher.

The cap N, too, I- also recess, or form with anges, g', for retention from lateral play of the springs S, and whereby the proper position and action of the same on the cap N are secured during all jerks or strains.

What is here claimed, and desired to be secured by Letters Patent, is-

1. The plunger I, constructed in sections, essentially as described, by combining, with the main plate or body .of the plunger, loose end-bars, r o", and a hout plate or bar, u, adjustable, relatively to the main body, substantially as and for the purpose or purposes herein set forth.

2. The application to the rod O, to which the springhook is attached, of the turn-buckle U, in th e manner and for the .purpose set forth.

, HENRY MARTIN Witnesses:

A. Ln CLERC, A. KnNrnR. 

